A co-worker got a letter in the mail purporting to be from "Automotive Testing and Development Services." He's got a 2010 Mazda 3.

The letter says Mazda is doing "an emissions study of customer owned vehicles."

If you give them your Mazda for a day to go to a dyno in Aurora and put ~80 miles on it, they'll give you a rental Mazda with a full tank and no mileage limits, return your car washed and with a full tank, and send you $100.

Second page is a letter from Keith Mentgen, Powertrain Engineer at Mazda, on Mazda letterhead, with a 248 area code phone and address in Allen Park, MI. There's a Keith Mentgen on Linked In as an Engineer with Mazda with five connections. The phone number doesn't show anything via google. I thought Mazda was in Irvine, CA?

ATDS is a company with HQ in Ontario, CA and a base in Ann Arbor, MI. Website with plenty of info.

This whole thing smacks of scam, but I can't figure it out. It's nice letterhead, color on both pages. Business reply envelope. Gives phone numbers to call. Includes correct VIN info on the letter.

Anyone see anything like this?
Is it a scam?

What could they be testing?
Thanks for any input...

I got one of those before but I just ignored it. Even if it is legit, I wouldn't want anyone I don't know driving my car without me being there. Who knows what they will do to it. They might do some damage that will cost more than the $100 they'll give you. It's just $100, not worth it.

Easy enough to check out, call Mazda North America in CA and ask.

What they could be testing is the emissions level at the current milage over a variety of conditions. Emissions system effectiveness, etc.